"Your uncle must be happy to have his hovel back to himself," Fenris said as they climbed the dusty clay stairs to Gamlen's home. "I still can not imagine what it was like having four of you living here."

"Now you know why I was always out getting into trouble," Hawke told the group. "As strange as it may sound, I preferred getting into fights with gangs instead of being here."

Sebastian brushed at his armor. "I for one am glad you no longer live in this part of Kirkwall," he said.

"And what is wrong with this part of Kirkwall?" Varric asked in a tone of exaggerated offense.

"He means I'm far too pretty to be roughing it down here with the likes of you," Hawke joked, lifting her nose in the air like the pompous nobles. Mocking Lady de Launcet's Orlesian accent, she continued. "Lowtown? Ugh! Zee Hanged Man? Filthy!"

Varric stopped at the top of the stairs and laughed. "Doesn't smell half as bad as this place," he said knocking on the wooden door.

Dearest Father,

It's no secret that I have never truly accepted being in the same family as the likes of Gamlen. It was easy to hate him for what he did to Mother, for the way he spoke down about you. He was hardly welcoming when we first arrived in Kirkwall, and had always been disapproving of my actions and my belief that I could make things better for our family. Sure, it was thanks to him we were allowed into the city to begin with, but I suspect that contract for a year was more to resolve his debts than to gain us entrance.

After Mother died, I admit I've avoided him. I know he blamed me for her death, having not done enough or not been more aware. I can understand that, because I felt the same. It was just easier not seeing him than being reminded of how much of a failure I was when looking into his eyes.

But the more I was missing Carver, the more I realized I was missing much more: family. We used to be so full of life when we were all together, you and Mother, Carver and Bethany. Living in the estate alone reminds me more and more of how important that time was that we had together. And even though Gamlen is not the best example of what the Amell family was, he is still family, what little of it remains.

So I decided it was time to check in on him, make sure he was doing alright. I've seen him around the city briefly, mostly when my tasks take me to the Blooming Rose, but in that situation the only conversation we could have would be awkward. Revisiting his home was difficult, remembering the year we had spent there, but I was surprised at what a positive outcome had come from the visit.

We chatted briefly about what had been new in each others lives. Not much on his end, which was not surprising. But hearing him finally admit that you must have been a decent man to produce an amazing daughter made me smile. It was the first time I had heard him ever say anything positive about you Father, and it made me smile. Perhaps seeing how far I've come from my days with him had him seeing things in a different light. He told me Mother would be proud to see me Champion, and commended me for how good I have done for myself and this city. It was a nice visit, and I was glad I went to see him.

Out of habit, I stopped at the writing desk on my way out, and came across a note mentioning something about the gem of Keroshek. I asked him about it, but he became very defensive and told me to mind my business. The caring, gentle, nice uncle I had come to visit turned quickly into the Gamlen I originally met. He told me that he had lost everything because of that gem, and didn't want to discuss it further.

Knowing so little about Gamlen, I couldn't help my curiosity. If he wasn't going to follow up on this gem, of course I was. The note said to head to Darktown for further information, so that's where we went when we left. Sebastian wasn't too pleased to be following us to the lower part of Kirkwall, but he agreed to come if only to protect me.

I'm thankful he did, because had I gone alone, things may have turned out very differently. Once I met with the mysterious sender of the note, we were attacked. They had assumed we were already in possession of the gem. For these men to kill over such an object only drove my curiosity further. We found another note on their leader's corpse that mentioned a wallop mallet my uncle had owned, and to go where the mallet was made.

Having stared at that ugly thing on the wall for over a year, I knew exactly what it was made from. The same type of tree that grew in the Alienage, so that was our next stop. As we were discussing the mallet and I informed the group what I had known about it, an elf approached us with yet another note, stating he was told to give it to whoever approached the tree and mentioned the mallet. This time we were directed to Smetty's Fish Guttery.

I learned Fenris hates fish, as the smell of the warehouse alone had him growling more than a hungry Mabari. His temper continued to grow at how we were being played with, to which I reminded him this was no different than the time he and I had met, being sent to check on a fake lyrium shipment when really we were just bait to draw out some slavers.

But after being attacked in the warehouse, and finding one more note leading to the caverns at The Sink, I agreed with Fenris. This was becoming an annoying game that I wasn't interested in playing anymore. From the beginning of the ambushes and attacks, I knew that had Gamlen been the one to answer that first note, he'd be dead by now. So now I was determined to follow this game wherever it led, mostly just to assure my uncle's safety. These were dangerous people we were playing with.

What happened at the caverns still has my head spinning. I would never have imagined my uncle the sort to be in love, or find the attention of any woman that didn't despise him, but how wrong I was. Not only did he once have a wife, but he had a daughter, my cousin Charade. She was the one responsible for all of this, wanting to see how far her father would go for the gem that had destroyed her family. She hadn't meant for all the attacks on us; apparently the mercenaries she hired to lure her father to her had more interest in the gem than the job they were given. Their leader attacked us in the caverns, and Charade assisted in our last confrontation with them. She's quite the archer! As we looted the bodies for odd items and coin, her and Sebastian were comparing bows. She fits in quite well with our little family.

I convinced her to go speak with Gamlen. He had no interest in the gem, I assured her, and it was clear when he told me that it had ruined his life that he had some regrets. I doubted he was even aware he had a daughter, which made Charade feel a little better that he hadn't tried to find her these past few years. We returned to Kirkwall together, and then I gave them some time alone to get acquainted.

When I returned to Gamlen's later that night, it seemed the two of them had a good talk. Charade and Gamlen have vowed to continue to get together and try to build a relationship as father and daughter. It's sad that her mother wasn't still alive to see this reunion, but hopefully Gamlen's place in Charade's life will help ease the pain of her mother's passing. Just when she thought she was alone, my cousin gained a father and two cousins. And we've gained her as well. Just when I thought my family was getting smaller and smaller, it's grown a little.

I hope to keep in touch with her as well.